User:Androgeos Exeunt

Hello.

☃

My screen name is Androgeos Exeunt. Since almost everyone on HLP calls me as either Andro, Androgeos or AE, feel free to address me using either one of those three.

Most of my time in the FreeSpace community is spent on the Hard Light Productions Forums, where I am a member. In addition, I'm also usually available on the HLP IRC.

My contributions to the community, admittedly, are minor; the two biggest things that I've ever done is to create a logo for the FreeSpace Campaign Restoration Project and simulate a broadside battle between the GTVA Colossus and SD Lucifer. I also do the occasional request by other members to test something out in FreeSpace 2.

FreeSpace Preferences

Light Settings

I originally used Spidey's light settings while playing, until Quantum Delta complained that the ship images I took were too dark for some monitors. I've since reverted to using no light settings at all. It's a boon in multiplayer, I assure you.

Controller

It has always been a keyboard, and it will still be a keyboard for the foreseeable future.

Switching to a MacBook to play FS2 was not an easy task, as the MacBook keyboard lacks enough keys for me to bind all key commands. Most notably, the MacBook keyboard has no numpad and the six keys directly above the Arrows, which means that I cannot bind both the ETS and individual shield quadrant augmentation key commands without having an unwieldy keyboard setup or conflicting commands. As I arguably use the ETS keys a lot more than the shield quadrant augmentation keys, I ultimately decided only to bind the equalise shields command and the ETS keys. To compensate, I bound the transfer shield <-> laser keys to the TAB key which, in single player mode, serves me just as well, if not better. In multi player, these keys do nothing.

Only under the most dire of circumstances will I use a mouse for precision aiming. This usually happens when I get bored missing a target while aiming with the keyboard.

Difficulty Level

Very Easy. I'm even proud of it. When I cheat, I do it on Very Easy or Insane. Because of childish reasons that will make you vomit your vital organs out, I refuse to play FS2 on any difficulty level between these two. Cheating on Insane does give me an "insight" of sorts into just how challenging the game is on that difficulty. To date, I hold everyone who has completed the main FreeSpace 2 campaign on Insane without cheating in the highest regard. Extra points if the person has been playing the game on both single and multiplayer since the days of PXO and SquadWar.

Ship Selection

Ever since I started playing FreeSpace 2, I've always taken preference to heavy assault ships and abusing ETS settings to fly them like a heavy interceptor or an afterburner with guns. The main reason for this is because I tend to overshoot or undershoot my target when flying an incredibly agile ship with a fast turn rate. I also scoff at pilots who seem to think that having a lot of speed and agility will make up for lack of protection. On the other hand, I acknowledge that even the best armour in the world won't prevent your destruction if you don't fly smart or fast.

Canon Ships I Prefer to Pilot

1. GTF Ares—I fell in love with the Ares when I first saw it on Rake's Flail SCP video. And then I ended up in the cockpit of one and fell in love with it even more. Its huge powerplant and missile banks means you can become quite a killing machine if you load it up right, and if you're lucky. There isn't much else that can compare to it. Agility-wise, I've piloted better ships, although on the lower difficulty levels, the Ares is still able to defend itself somewhat.
2. SF Mara—This is the only canon Shivan fighter you can fly. It's just slow enough for me to effectively pilot it with a keyboard, and it has an even larger powerplant than the Ares, capable of easily firing the GTW UD-8 Kayser for lengthy periods without stopping. However, I rarely fly one of these because they're not common, so I still prefer the Ares.
3. GVF Tauret—Strangely enough, I disliked this ship when I first saw that the tech room rated its manoeuvrability as "Poor". It was only after I decided to pilot one myself that I realise that the tech room was more or less lying in this regard. I love to chuck missiles at everything I see, and the Tauret has two missile banks larger than that of the Ares to fit. The only thing now that makes me keep my distance away from the Tauret is because it is so widely used. I tend to prefer "more exotic" ships.

Non-Canon Ships I Prefer to Pilot

1. GTF Nyx—I find it difficult to overstate this fighter. It has eight gun mounts, cavernous missile banks, relatively good speed and agility, and is very durable. It's a difficult choice between this and the Ares.

Canon Ships I Dislike With a Passion

1. GVF Horus—Perhaps the only ship in FreeSpace canon that can truly make me openly use the word "hate" on it, the Horus flies like rubbish with me behind the controls. AI ships in FreeSpace love to pitch a lot, and the Horus as the most atrocious pitch and yaw rate of any fighter I have ever flown. A small moon could easily fit inside the amount of time this abomination takes to do a 360-degree turn. Forget the fact that it's fast if you can't even turn properly. The GVF Serapis may be less durable, but at least that thing's nimble enough to avoid exploding Piranhas. This ship cannot.
2. GTF Perseus—My dislike for the Perseus has waned a little ever since I started to learn how to pilot agile ships with a keyboard more effectively, but it's still there. I know a lot of FreeSpace pilots love the Perseus because of how it perfectly balances speed, agility, durability and loadout. On that regard, I agree. However, I find the Perseus to turn a little too quickly for comfort. This was the first fighter I flew where I kept overshooting targets. If I'm just shooting down bombers and bombs, the Perseus is probably one of the better ships I can ask for. For everything else, I'd rather fly a GTF Myrmidon.
3. GTB Medusa—Crap turret, crap missile capacity compared to other bombers that are more easily available, crap because I don't really like ships that only support one primary weapon, and sub-par agility that is not really necessary when you fly a bomber.

Non-Canon Ships I Dislike With a Passion

1. GTF Vesuvius—With its Shivan-style paintjob, it's nearly impossible to distinguish a friendly from foe. Whee. Let's have fun shooting each other and turning traitor on every mission!

Weapon Loadout

I'll make no secret about my poor accuracy. Put me in a fighter with a rapid-fire cannon, and you'll be safe as long as you're in my reticle. I just cannot do anything with low-damage, high-refire primary weapons, because I'll end up shooting the space immediately surrounding my target. On the hand, a weapon that has a ludicrously low refire rate will bore me to the point where I'll always miss my target out of boredom. My best bet is a primary weapon that deals reasonable damage at an average rate of fire. Dual-linked primary weapons work as well. Even a Subach will fit the bill nicely ... as long as I mount all six guns of a Myrmidon with it.

As for missiles, I prefer those that do damage. It doesn't have to be a seeking missile. As long as I can use it with my primary weapons and it deals good damage for the maximum number of it that I can load onto my ship, it's good.

Preferred Canon Primary Weapons

1. GTW UD-8 Kayser
2. GTW Mekhu HL-7
3. GTW Avenger

Preferred Non-Canon Primary Weapons

1. Rapier
2. Maul
3. Quasar

Preferred Canon Secondary Weapons

1. GTM Trebuchet
2. GTM Tornado
3. GTM Tempest

Preferred Non-Canon Secondary Weapons

1. A.C.R.
2. Hurricane
3. Paveway